Government cannot finance crucial poll

The DRC will not be able to afford to hold the planned presidential election this year, the government says. Budget Minister Pierre Kangudia said the cost of organising the poll – about $1.8bn – was too expensive. Last year the government and the opposition agreed that new elections would be held by the end of 2017. President Joseph Kabila's final mandate ran out in November 2016. BBC News reports that Kabila's opponents have accused him of repeatedly delaying the poll in order to remain in power. The electoral commission said it needs to register more than 30m voters in a country similar in size to Western Europe, but with one of the worst transport and communication networks in the world.